Bridgewater State Hospital is in jeopardy of losing its accreditation unless it responds to the findings of a surprise inspection by a national nonprofit that accredits health care facilities within 45 days.

The inspection, which was conducted by the Joint Commission on May 30. was prompted by “patient safety concerns.”

The Joint Commission has not released the details from it described as a “preliminary report” from the inspection, which came in the wake of several articles by The Boston Globe about a patient death and the widespread use of restraints on mentally ill patients.

A Department of Correction spokesman acknowledged the inspection and said the commission's concerns are being addressed at the medium-security prison, which houses men involved with the criminal justice system who are diagnosed as mentally ill.

In April, the facility was also investigated by the Disability Law Center, which is designated under United States law to investigate complaints of abuse of disabled people.

That investigation also came in the wake of reports that guards and clinicians had illegally put mentally ill inmates and patients into physical restraints and isolation cells.

The families of a number of the prison's patients have filed lawsuits against the facility in recent years. In one case, the parents of a man who died while being restrained at the facility in 2009 settled a lawsuit for $3 million.